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Mercia Spinner Celebrates Successful First Year of Helping Universities

Originally Published 20 January 2003

Mercia Spinner, a powerful alliance of eight West Midlands Universities, is delivering a huge boost to entrepreneurship and small business in the region. Over the past year Mercia Spinner has exploited £160 million worth of innovative technology research to initiate over 50 new projects and set-up twelve spin-off companies.

The eight universities conduct over £160 million worth of innovative research into medicine, biology, engineering, chemistry and other sciences each year, but until recently, this wealth of research was not fully exploited to benefit the West Midlands and the UK as a whole.

Dr Ederyn Williams, Director of technology transfer group Warwick Ventures at the University of Warwick, said: "We are excited about the success of Mercia Spinner, and the benefits it will bring to the region. In 2002, Spinner supported over 50 new exploitation projects, each of which was a potential new spin-off company to exploit a new technology. With twelve spin-off companies already created, we are well on the way to our target for 2006 of 33 new spin-off companies every year."

Warwick Ventures and Birmingham Research and Development Ltd, the exploitation arms of the Universities of Warwick and Birmingham lead the project. Spreading their expertise to the other six universities will ensure that the benefits of Spinner are permanent.

To celebrate their achievements Spinner are holding a 'Spinner Success Celebration' on 20th February 2003 5.30pm-8.30pm, at The Lakeside Conference Centre, Aston, in Birmingham. Entrepreneurs, funders, business support services, academics and members of the West Midlands business community are welcome to attend.

For further details please contact:
Neenu Puri, Connect Midlands, Tel: 024 7632 3313 Email: neenu@connectmidlands.orgor Jenny Murray, Assistant Press Officer, University of Warwick, Tel: 02476 574255 Mobile: 07876 217740 Email: jennifer.murray@warwick.ac.uk

The coalition consists of Aston, Coventry, Keele, Staffordshire, Birmingham, University of Central England, Warwick and Wolverhampton Universities.